A Make-Your-Own-Adventure Brunch Casserole

The easiest brunch dish you’ll ever make.

This last-minute brunch (or breakfast, lunch, or dinner) is the golden retriever of recipes: eager to please and there to bring you joy with its simple, happy-go-lucky existence. Also: It willingly accepts anything from your fridge, especially if it includes cheese.

Also, for anyone who needs a quick Mother’s Day meal for this weekend, this recipe has your back. You can have this casserole ready to go into the oven in the time it takes your oven to get to temperature.

I’ve written a recipe to give you a sense of what is needed so you are ensured a delicious outcome, but this is a casserole you can make your own. Like the Mama I am, I am teaching you the basics you need to be able to fly free of this recipe.

(And as your Mama, if you remember, just, maybe, you know, if you find yourself with a moment of free time [I know how busy you are], maybe call or write. I know visiting is out of the question with your busy schedule and everything — but sure, maybe just send a thought in my direction. If you have time. Don’t mind me, I’ll just sit here in the dark by the phone, waiting.)

Guilt trip aside, a few notes:

• This recipe is for two people. It’s easily dividable for one (I often make this for my lunch) or multipliable for however many you want to feed. I allow two eggs per person.

• You can make this in one baking pan or individual ones.

• Don’t like Boursin? Sub shredded Parmesan, fontina, Gruyère, sharp cheddar, or whatever bits and pieces you have in the fridge.

• I have made this with everything from leftover steak to finally diced prosciutto to thin slices of cured chorizo. Meat is by no means necessary. I often serve this as a vegetarian dish. Yet, if I’m feeling luxurious, I’ll lay a few slices of smoked salmon over the top of the casserole after it’s come out of the oven. If using smoked salmon, I recommend dollops of Boursin or cream cheese for your cheese element.

• Take a peek in your fridge. Leftover potatoes? Roasted veg? Maybe there’s a lonely scallion in your crisper bin, or a few pickled onions waiting for a new home. Is it a jar of sun-dried tomatoes? Any of these things chopped up into bite-sized pieces would be a great addition.

• I top the casserole with hand-torn pieces of country-style bread tossed with olive oil to create a crunchy, toasty topping.

• I regularly add chopped garlic to mine, because I worry about vampires. Maybe this isn’t a worry in your area. (However, if you live near the D.C. area or anywhere near powerful clusters of billionaires or their accompanying sycophants, I recommend garlic to keep them at bay.)

Marissa Rothkopf Bates writes about food for the New York Times, Newsweek (RIP) and Publishers’ Weekly among others. Her newest book, “The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies,” is available wherever fine books are sold. Find her on Substack here.

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